Interviewing for a nurse practitioner position has evolved tremendously over the last couple of years. Nowadays it’s become more common for employers to conduct video interviews over platforms like Skype and Google Hangouts. It’s also not out of the ordinary for NPs to be asked by hiring managers to provide a link to their professional profiles on sites like LinkedIn. Yet while some things change, others stay the same.

A nurse practitioner recently emailed me asking how to "diversify or advance [herself] professionally and not necessarily by becoming a DNP". This is a question a lot of us as nurse practitioners are asking. Our time in the clinic or hospital seeing patients becomes routine and we're ready to mix things up a bit. But, we don't necessarily want to go back to school. The DNP doesn't seem like it will necessarily lead to the professional change we're looking for.

Do you have a 'difficult' boss? As a nurse practitioner I've had bosses that are harsh, bosses that give little direction, bosses that are unfair and bosses that are simply amazing. It's almost inevitable that working as an NP you'll have supervisors of all demeanors and managerial skill levels. Some you'll get along with swimmingly, others you won't and most will fall somewhere in between. What do you do when you have conflict with your boss, or just plain don't get along?

I recently received a nurse practitioner scope of practice question from a surgical center practice manager. She wanted to know if nurse practitioners and physician assistants can perform endoscopy and colonoscopy. Is this in your scope of practice as an NP or PA?

When you’re on the hunt for a nurse practitioner job, crafting the perfect cover letter and submitting your resume for suitable positions is only half the battle in landing your next career opportunity. Acing the job interview is where the rubber meets the road and your opportunity to put a face to your application.

Getting behind schedule is a constant battle for many nurse practitioners. Patients arrive like clockwork for appointments, piling up in the lobby, as you struggle to get those currently in the exam room treated and out the door. Unexpected paperwork piles up. Answering patient calls eats up precious minutes. Your printer malfunctioning requires time to fix.

Perfectly content with my workload, and always borderline over-committed, I wasn't looking for a new nurse practitioner job. Until, that is, the former medical director of the emergency department where I work sent an email asking for help in his new facility. Intrigued by the opportunity to work somewhere new, and attracted to the possibility of again practicing with someone who had been instrumental in training me to be the NP I am today, I accepted the job.

If you have worked as a nurse practitioner for some time now, chances are that at one time or another you’ve been a part of a hospital merger or acquisition, or another type of organizational shift in your practice setting. Perhaps, simply even a key clinic administrator leaving his/her position made waves in your workplace.

The final interview for my first nurse practitioner job occurred in a restaurant. I met the physician interviewing me at the clinic and she suggested we go to lunch. You can imagine my surprise when she told me she had driving her Harley motorcycle to work that day so I would need to drive us to our destination. Thankfully my old Jeep (think NP student budget) was somewhat clean.

Our last post talked apps for lab interpretation. While apps are convenient and take up only virtual storage space, we totally side with nurse practitioners who prefer more tangible clinical resources. If you're a book-loving NP, there are a number of helpful references out there to guide you in ordering and interpreting lab studies. Which pack the most punch in the clinical setting?

I've talked to some colleagues recently who've been a little down about their roles as nurse practitioners. Working in family practice, they have found themselves in the position of delivering bad or upsetting news to their patients. Cancer diagnoses were fortunately made rather than missed, but letting a patient know they've got a serious, life-altering illness or condition is tough, not to mention, this is not something most of us as NPs learn to do in school.

Tomorrow is the big day. The day you’ve been thinking about all week; your job interview for a new position as a nurse practitioner. Over the last few days, you’ve (hopefully) taken the time to study over the job requirements, made a comparative list of your qualifications and have come up with a few examples of how your NP experience relates to this position; you’ve even perfected how you’ll answer certain questions the interviewer may ask.